Backyard Monkey Owner Launches New Fund to Support Hawaiʻi CC’s Forestry Management Program Students
Backyard Monkey owner and TEAM program alum Justin Barrios gives back to the program that shaped his career, strengthening pathways for local conservation and forestry students.
By: Mitchell K. Dwyer
HILO, Hawaiʻi — Justin Barrios, owner of the Hilo-based land care and tree services company Backyard Monkey, has established the TEAM Program Fund at Hawaiʻi Community College, supporting students in the Tropical Forest Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management (TEAM) program that helped launch his career.
“The TEAM program changed the way I see the island,” Barrios says. “It taught me how to care for the place that raised me — and I want students coming up behind me to have the same opportunity.”
Barrios’s gift strengthens a growing workforce pipeline for Hawaiʻi Island, where demand for trained forestry and conservation professionals continues to outpace supply. The fund will directly support TEAM students through curriculum development, field-based learning, greenhouse and nursery materials, equipment upgrades, travel for fieldwork, and summer internship stipends.
From student to contributor
Barrios took several TEAM classes while launching Backyard Monkey, and the experience stayed with him. He credits Program Director Orlo Steele, his instructor and now longtime collaborator, with deepening his understanding of forest stewardship and land care.
“When students come through our program, they learn how to identify native plants and use the Geographic Information System,” Steele says, “but they’re also learning how to take care of Hawai‘i Island’s resources in ways that honor the place and the people who live here.”
Barrios’s commitment reflects a broader pattern within the program: local students trained by invested faculty moving into careers that support Hawaiʻi Island’s ecosystems and communities.
Meeting a growing workforce need
The need for skilled forestry and conservation technicians is especially acute on Hawaiʻi Island. Agencies and land management organizations regularly struggle to fill open positions.
“There’s a very high demand,” Steele says. “They cannot fill all the positions coming up, and many positions are filled by people coming to Hawai‘i Island from outside the state, but our students, who come from all over Hawai‘i, know these islands and know the resources.”
TEAM graduates move into roles with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, watershed partnerships, and private land care companies.
As the island’s open-admissions, affordable community college, Hawaiʻi CC plays a critical role in preparing residents for careers rooted in place. Many TEAM students arrive already connected to the land through family traditions and recreation, and the program provides a clear pathway to meaningful work at home.
Supporting students — and the program’s future
Steele says Barrios’s support for student internships is particularly impactful. The TEAM program requires a summer field internship, and while some partner organizations offer paid placements, many do not.
“It’s hard to ask students to commit to full time fieldwork without some kind of financial help,” Steele says. “This gift allows students to finish strong without having to choose between school and a paycheck.”
For Barrios, the fund is an investment in the island’s future — built on the training that helped him succeed. Backyard Monkey’s work is rooted in the skills and values he gained through TEAM, and he hopes the fund will help future students enter the field ready to contribute.
“If you want a career that keeps your brain sharp, your body strong, and your work meaningful, arboriculture delivers,” Barrios says. “So love what you do and never stop educating yourself.”
